The Society of the Federal Republic of Germany

(Last modified March 2010)

(In collaboration with Martin Jander)

"The RAF and the Challenge to Democracy (1970-1998)", a project which was begun in 2004, was originally designed to include a chronicle of events as a central component. Following publication of some of the results as a two-volume collection, "Die RAF und der linke Terrorismus" by Hamburger Edition in 2006, the chronicle is now being pursued as a separate project, as outlined in this text.

Although there is a large body of literature on the Rote Armee Fraktion [Red Army Faction, RAF], the process of historicizing the RAF is far from completed. Those who seek to understand how the West German state reacted to the challenge posed by the RAF and how the nation responded find very few comprehensive, empirically-founded publications. Even in latest, updated edition (released in 2008) of the most widely-read book on the RAF’s history, Stefan Aust’s "Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex" (which has also been published in several English-language editions under various titles) covers only the so-called first generation and ends with the autumn of 1977. This account is hardly useful for those seeking a general survey or introduction and does not satisfy the needs of readers who would like to consult the sources used in its writing. "Tödlicher Irrtum", a book by Butz Peters published in 2004 and covering the entire history of the RAF, also fails to fill these gaps.

"The RAF Chronicle" offers a detailed history of each terrorist attack and other major RAF activity, the state’s response, and coverage of these events in print media and on radio and television. The chronicle also retraces formation of the RAF, its impacts up to the present day, and its position within an international context and includes reports on otherWest German leftist terrorist groups.